Whale Island. The hometown of the protagonist and the place where his journey began.
At this moment, the coast of Whale Island was bustling with people. Fishing boats, returning with full loads, were docking at the shore.
A wide variety of fish were being unloaded in an orderly manner, sorted, and repacked into wooden boxes filled with crushed ice.
"Gon went fishing for that Master of the Swamp again today? That boy is really just like his father," said an aunt, wearing a headscarf, as she packed the boxes. She glanced at Mito, who was busy nearby.
"Yeah, he's been at it non-stop for almost a week," Mito replied, shaking her head helplessly.
"Are you worried he'll actually catch that monster, Mito?"
"An agreement is an agreement. If he catches it, he can take the Hunter Exam," Mito responded.
For the residents of Whale Island, the Master of the Swamp was considered a monster. Its size was beyond imagination, and its power and speed in the water made it impossible for ordinary people to catch.
Mito, who was Gon's foster mother, didn't want him to take the Hunter Exam and risk his life. That's why she made such an agreement with him, betting he wouldn't be able to catch the Master of the Swamp.
Only Gon's father, Ging Freecss, had ever caught the Master of the Swamp, and he had been only twelve years old at the time—the same age Gon was now.
"That kid has guts. Even the five of us couldn't catch that beast," said an uncle with a full beard as he lifted a box full of fish.
...
Meanwhile, not far from the seaport, Gon sat high in the branches of a giant tree, intently watching his fishing line in the lake below.
*PLOP*
"Huh!?"
Suddenly, Gon's eyes lit up. The fishing rod in his hand trembled, and the buoy in the water rapidly sank.
"No matter what kind of fish you are, I won't let you get away this time!" Gon quickly stood up and pulled on the rod.
*SPLASH*
In an instant, a massive fish, several times larger than Gon, emerged from the water. It had the body of a scaly fish with sharp teeth, but it bizarrely had thin, skeletal legs—16 of them on each side of its belly, like an arthropod.
"Wh-what a huge fish!" Gon jumped up, wrapped the fishing line around the giant tree, then used his weight to pull the enormous fish from the lake.
"HAHAHAHA! Mito-san, I finally caught it! I can finally take the Hunter Exam!" Gon, using all his strength, hauled the giant fish onto the shore, its huge body casting a shadow as it struggled in the sunlight.
...
"Mito-san!" Gon saw Mito busy on the shore and waved to her from afar.
"Gon?"
"Wow! Look at this! What a huge fish!"
"Gon… did he actually catch it?"
"After all these years, someone has finally caught it again."
Everyone stared in shock as Gon dragged the massive fish toward the coast.
"Gon… he really did it," Mito stammered, staring at Gon and the giant fish, which was several times larger than him.
"Mito-san, I caught the Master of the Swamp. Don't forget our agreement," Gon said, dropping the fish and flashing an innocent, wide smile at her.
"If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have made that agreement with you," Mito said helplessly.
"Mito, I think you should let Gon take the Hunter Exam. He worked so hard for this goal and to learn about his father," said a kind grandmother standing behind her, glancing at Mito.
"Since the agreement has been fulfilled, I won't stand in his way, Grandma," Mito nodded.
"Yosh!" Gon smiled after hearing his foster mother and grandmother, then turned around and walked toward the house.
Seeing Gon leave, the grandmother beside Mito spoke slowly, "The blood really tells."
While Mito said nothing as she watched Gon leave.
...
Inside the house, Gon was packing his bag and cleaning his fishing rod while Mito watched silently from the side, saying nothing.
"Mito-san, I'm leaving," Gon said, turning around with a big smile.
For some reason, Mito's heart trembled, and her eyes filled with tears. Gon's departure made her deeply sad, but she knew she couldn't stop him.
"Truly, like father, like son." Mito wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and pulled Gon into a deep hug.
"Mito-san, I will definitely pass the Hunter Exam, and I'll become an excellent Hunter."
"Just promise me you'll come back safely," Mito said, stretching her pinky toward Gon. "Pinky promise."
"Pinky promise," Gon said, hooking his pinky with hers before turning and running out of the house, waving as he went. "Mito-san, goodbye!"
...
Not long after, Gon boarded the ship at the port.
On the shore where the ship was moored, many residents of Whale Island had gathered. They were all familiar faces to Gon, and they had come to see him off.
"Gon, good luck!"
"You have to become an excellent Hunter!"
"Surpass your father and be the best Hunter, Gon!"
"And if you ever meet your father, punch him in the face—"
"That's right, Gon, HAHAHAHA!"
Many residents waved and called out as Gon stood on the deck.
"I'll definitely find and surpass Ging, and I'll come back once I become a Hunter!" Gon shouted, waving back to everyone as the ship sailed out to sea.
...
At this moment, above the sky of Whale Island, a man stands on a flying carpet. He appears to be a short individual, just slightly taller than Gon. He shares Gon's hazel eyes, has stubble, black spiky hair, and wears a visor wrapped in cloth on his head, with some locks of hair sticking out from beneath it.
"Find me? Surpass me? Become a top Hunter? HAHAHAHA! Go forward bravely toward your goals, son, because people's dreams never end!" Ging spreads his arms and looks at the distant ship, which gradually becomes a black dot.
"Eh~ why do I sound like the bad guy? When Satoru said this to me, he looked so badass." Ging scratched his head and continued, "But this flying carpet is really something. Where did Satoru even get it?"
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Ging's blood pressure rose. "Damn that blue-eyed guy! He left me here while he's out exploring!"
"This flying carpet will be my compensation, huh?" Then Ging takes control of the flying carpet and flies away, not wanting his son to see him.
"It's still too early, Gon. Let's meet at the top next time."